


When In Washington

by Skaurple



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-20 13:16:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaurple/pseuds/Skaurple
Summary: When April accepted Bens offer to be his assistant in Washington, she didn't know what to expect...A series of drabbles and one shots of the unseen FRIENDSHIPPY moments of April and Ben in Washington.





	1. Broken Window

**Author's Note:**

> My first story to publish in three years! 
> 
> Pretty late on the Parks and Rec train but, I really liked the Ben and April dynamic so I decided to write about their Washington trip. Enjoy!

When Ben asked April to accompany him on his trip to Washington, her immediate answer was, "no". Living in a completely unfamiliar area, without her husband for almost a full year did not seem all that intriguing. The job itself sounded boring as well. The long hours of starring at a computer screen, writing memos about things she could care less about whilst being surrounded by people who she also, could care less about. The job was essentially her current job at the Parks Department, the only difference was she actually had to try.

Despite the cons list being longer than the pros, April couldn't help but feel regret in her first response to Bens offer. Maybe it was the wordy, inspirational speech about experience and leadership given by Leslie, or the wise advice about the future by Ron, or the loving support she received from Andy, the young assistant felt obligated to take the job. 

The decision was made yet she was still wary of the situation. Knowing that she had to spend a majority of her time with Ben sounded a bit of a nightmare, with all his nerdy antics and overall lame personality, it wasn't clear how far she would make it without breaking. 

April didn't think too much about the trip until the day of their flight to Washington. Wrapping her arms around the giant Andy was compared to her and feeling the stubble against her face when they shared a kiss, made it even harder to walk to through departure area of the airport. After reminding each other to skype one another everyday, and text whenever given the chance, they shared their final kiss and goodbye, and parted ways. 

Taking off 39,000 feet into the air was when the realization really sunk it. The overwhelming thought of being no where near her home for the first time in years brought her into a silent state with only her nervous thoughts to keep her distracted as Ben babbled on about a cheesy story about him and Leslie. It was a rare sight to behold, seeing April truly upset. She came off emotionless most of the time, only the ones who truly knew her would notice such a small change in attitude. 

"You alright?" 

Broken out of her daze, she removed her attention from the window to glare at Ben who had a rather concerned look on his face. She stayed silent for a few moments before processing his simple question. 

"Not when you're around." She sneered

Ben rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh before turning his head back to his novel he rested on his lap. 

"Well, get use to it." Ben murmured. "You're stuck with me for quite some time."

April bit the side of her cheek as she glanced back to the window, viewing the, clear, blue sky. It was difficult to see through the thick layer of clouds they flew over, but the ocean peered its way through, giving April a sudden thought she couldn't help but share.

"Do you think if I broke this window and you flew off the plane, you'd still be able to survive but have both you're legs and arms decapitated by the impact of you hitting the water?" She questioned in her usual monotone manner.

"Excuse me?" Ben uttered, completely thrown off by her hypothetical. 

"If I broke this window right now," April repeated "And you fell out because you're dumb-"

"Wouldn't you fall out since you're the closest-" Ben interrupted but April continued, unbothered. 

"Would you survive? Yes or no?" She crossed her arms.

Ben hesitated to reply Aprils rather insane question. "April-" 

"Yes or no?" She said much more slower.

Figuring it would be a long fight to avoid answering, Ben muttered,  
"No, no I wouldn't survive. No one would."

"Why not?" 

"Because it's impossible?" He squinted his eyes. "April, I would be dead before I even hit the ground!" 

"Wanna test that theory?"

The assistant proceeded to lightly bang on the window, jokingly attempting to break it open, giving Ben a tremendous amount of anxiety. He repeatedly demanded for her to stop in an angered whisper to avoid bringing attention, but it only encouraged her to continue. By the time Ben turned bright red by the stares of strangers, one of the flight attendants had made their way to their seat in hopes of solving the situation. 

"Is everything alright?" The lady questioned in a perky tone. 

April rested her relentless slamming and glared up at the tall stewardess. She then looked over to Ben who could looked down at the floor, clearly avoiding eye contact with the lady. 

"Yeah, sorry about-" Ben paused to clear his throat. "The disruption my colleague has caused." He harshly accused.

"No worries." She gave nod and forced a smile. 

"Hey, can I ask you something?" April spoke, which made Ben sink deeper into his chair. 

"Of course!" The clueless lady agreed.

"Are these windows openable?" April gestured to the window beside her. "My colleague over here is super picky when it comes to air and the only air he believes in breathing is natures." 

Aprils statement left the flight attendant puzzled and Ben in a slum of embarrassment. The sight of her boss completely defeated and helpless brought a small smirk on her face. Admittedly, teasing and making Ben uncomfortable was one of the most entertaining and easiest thing to do. 

Maybe Washington wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Potential

Ben saw potential in April. 

Leslie and Ben constantly told her so and encouraged April to do more but she always seemingly brush the compliments off. Not that she did not appreciate their thoughts, she simply just did not believe she was ready to embark on "bigger dreams". They continued to push her on a direction of success but she was just too stubborn to follow it. Regardless of her stance, Ben had faith the young adult could be doing so much more. Behind her sarcastic and dark ora, Ben truly believed their was a passionate and lively soul deep inside, thus his reasoning of bringing her to Washington.

"Oh my god, why is it so hot here!?" April complained, crossing her arms in annoyance. 

The dark haired assistant wiped the sweat off her face with the back of her hand. She impatiently awaited for Ben to finish taking selfies of the Lincoln Memorial. 

"Can we check into the hotel now?" She cried, barely able to speak from the insanely hot weather.

"Wait, I almost got it-" Ben insisted as he moved his phone around in all sorts of directions. 

"Just let me take the picture." April demanded.

"No, it's fine. The lighting needs to be perfect. Leslie's going to freak when I send-"

"Just let me take the stupid picture!" She put her hand out, reaching for the cell phone.

Ben glared at his irritated assistant and sighed, unwillingly passing her his phone. He held a thumps up and put on a dorky smile as April took half-assed pictures of the idiot she now worked for. Viewing the photos with the phone still in Aprils hands, Ben frowned in dissatisfaction at the blurry images that had only captured half of his face and the crotch of president Lincoln. After Ben had requested her to take a proper photo, she quickly denied and bolted down the stairs of the memorial without hesitation. 

"April, my phone!" He began chasing her but had stopped midway right when the sun hit him. 

So, maybe it was going to be a bit difficult finding that passionate and lively soul as the somewhat evil traits of April peered through her most times. Even being roommates with her and Andy for a few months now, Ben was still not able to completely understand the young adult. 

Perhaps it was young adults in general he did not understand.  It was Tom who had constantly reminded Ben he was "too old" to understand anything "cool" now and days, and it was a miracle that he was able to befriend both him and April.

But despite his lack of knowledge of today's youth and the fact assistant had just taken a picture of Abe Lincolns lower region and had run away like a child going through a rebellious phase, Ben still saw potential in April.


	3. Stupid and Dorky

"I look stupid." April murmured as she groaned at her own reflection in the elevator mirror. 

Apart of being Bens assistant was to look the part. Of course, Aprils usual skinny jeans and sweater wasn't going to pass. So, prior to the trip, Leslie had taken April on a shopping spree due to Aprils lack of  proper clothing for the job. To avoid any regrettable decisions, April had two rules for Leslie; Nothing too colourful, and no pants suites. Surely, Leslie had a difficult time following them but after a whopping 4 hours, the two managed to agree on a few different outfits.

One of them being a black, pencil skirt along with a black blazer to match it. Underneath was a pink button up blouse, with a vertical patter of darker shade of pink strips over it. They even agreed on adding a leather purse to the mix.

"No, you don't. You look fine." Ben insisted, in a rather tired tone. 

Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, April studied the older ones appearance, seeing as his eyes were nearly shutting and his slouched posture. 

"Jet lag?" April questioned, sarcastically.

"We're in the same timezone as Pawnee, April." Was his response.

The elevator doors opened as a robotic voice had stated they were in the lobby floor. Stepping out of the elevator, Ben let out a deep sigh before continuing to speak. 

"I was up all night skyping with Leslie-" 

"Ew, gross!" She whined, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "I don't want to know about you're weird online sex-"

"Talking. We were TALKING." Ben addressed with an eye roll. "She was working late on paperwork as per usual, and she wanted me to keep her company."

Ben awaited another sarcastic remark but to his surprise, April stayed silent. He took this as an invitation to continue on about their conversation. He began sharing Leslie's various plans on improving Pawnee, her excitement on the idea of working with famous and politicians, and her frustrations with the current members of the city council being complete "buttheads".

"She also kept complaining about how you weren't replying to her messages." Ben mentioned, as he opened the door for April, allowing her to exit the hotel. The sun and heat hit her immediately, causing her to squint.

"I did. For like, the first 20 texts she sent me." She explained, as she covered the light with her hand.

Ben chuckled. "That's actually really impressive for your standards." 

April shrugged as they proceeded towards the taxi pickup. Despite Leslie keeping Ben up for an extra 3 hours the night before his first day at work as a campaign manager, he regretted nothing and would do it everyday. 

"Speaking of Leslie,"

Ben suddenly took a break from walking. He placed his briefcase beside him and took his phone out. April looked back, and paused slightly puzzled. 

"She wanted me to send a picture of you in the clothes you guys bought together." He began swiping through his apps to find the camera.

With this, Aprils eyes widened. She hissed in annoyance and simply said, "What? No!"'

"April-" 

"No!" 

"C'mon, it'll be quick." 

"I said no!"

"Why not?!" Ben looked up from his phone, eyeing the disgruntled 24 year old. "Unless you want to be bombarded with a hundred more messages from Leslie, I suggest you suck it up and get this over with."

"Because it's embarrassing!" She uttered through her teeth, avoiding eye contact.

"You embarrass me all the time!"

"Well, it's not funny when I'm being embarrassed!" 

Ben gave April a look of disappointment. She did the same resulting in a unnecessary long starring contest. Right when Ben was about to break, April shifted her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. 

"Fine, just- make it quick."

"Seriously?!" A smile quickly faded in. He was ready to jump for joy but that would be way too much. 

"I'll be apart of the picture, will that help?" 

"No."

Ignoring the younger one, Ben lifted his camera, attempting to fit both of them in frame. The photo was able to show off Aprils full body wardrobe with the added downfall of her sticking her middle finger in the picture. 

"See, that wasn't so hard!" Ben nudged April, as the two looked at the photo. 

"We look stupid...and dorky. Delete it."

"We look great! Leslie's going to love this."

Aprils eyes softened as she viewed the photo for a bit longer. Glancing up at Bens stupid, giddy smirk almost made herself crack a grin. Puzzled by the warmth she felt inside, she slapped the phone out of Bens hand, resulting in it crashing to the ground.

"Whatever." April sneered, as she continued walking, leaving the other behind.

No way was she breaking on the first day.


	4. Outcasts

Washington made April feel like she had been living in a completely different era. The modernized technology, properly grown vegetations, beautifully constructed buildings, and actual working traffic lights would make any Pawnee citizen overwhelmed. Ben, on the other hand, had been use to seeing similar sites. The city is where he lived most of his life, and was admittedly stale at some points. Pawnee, was a different story. It was new, and filled with the most passionate people. It's where he found his soul mate and friends he actually had the time to get to know. The opportunity of moving to Washington was nice but if he were honest, he'd rather be hanging out with Leslie in Pawnee. 

It wasn't until Jen Barkley introduced Ben to his very own office when he became truly impressed. It had always been a tradition for him to be secluded into a corner with little space to place his paperwork, but Washington had other plans. 

"Sorry for it being so-" Jen Barkley paused, bitting her lip in attempt to think of a word. "Miniature,  I guess." 

"Miniature?" Ben scoffed "Try massive." 

He entered the nearly empty room further, inspecting the beautiful white marble desk that had the latest Apple computer ready to be used. An empty shelf which was soon to be filled with pictures of his loved ones and memorabilia sat behind the desk. The glass panel that separated his office from the interns bullpen added to its sophistication.

"This is the biggest office I've gotten, ever!" He stated, barely containing his excitement.

Jen shrugged, lifting her phone as she began texting. "Well, that's depressing." 

Unbothered by her statement, he continued admiring his office. He planed how he'd design it in his head as Jen gave him an introduction of his job. It wasn't long until she left the campaign manager to daydream. With this, April crept in seeing her boss getting comfortable on his new office chair. She remained quiet as she scanned the interior of the office, slightly hunched with her arms crossed, appearing rather uneasy.

"What do you think?" Ben broke the silence. "Pretty cool, huh?" 

"If the floor tiles were replaced with trap doors with a 50 feet drop that lead to nothing but a pool of mud then yeah, it'd be pretty cool."

"That... is terrifying."

April shrugged and continued to tour the office. She eyed the various unopened letters scattered on the desk of Ben, with the name "David Murray" written on them. 

"So, when do we get to meet the guy?" April shot a glance at Ben

He tilted his head "The guy?" 

"The guy we're like, campaigning for or, whatever." 

Bens loosen attitude was quickly adjusted, realizing they technically had begun their job. 

"Well, I've gotten the chance to meet him personally, but Jen had informed me he won't be visiting often due to his busy schedule."

"So, I'm helping some random dude I've never met and know nothing about win an election?" 

"I mean, he's not some random dude we got from the subway, he's a well respected congressman." 

Aprils unchanged expression resulted in Ben unconsciously figuring out a way to change it.

"I could try to get him in a Skype call for you and the interns?" He suggested. 

April turned her head slightly towards the glass panels to observe the bullpen area that had been filled with interns she had yet to interact with. Despite most of them being the same as herself, she simply felt out of place. Their seemingly polished and youthful nature  had bothered April to the brim, giving her a feeling of tremendous annoyance. 

"That'd probably be a good idea, wouldn't it?" Ben continued his thought. "I'll run the idea by Jen and see what she thinks. It's a long shot but it definitely wouldn't hurt to see who you and the interns are working for and vice versa-"

"Do I really have to sit with them?" April suddenly blurted. 

Caught off guard, Ben hesitated to answer. "Well, where else would you be sitting?" 

"I don't know? In the parking lot? Of a different building? Away from them, maybe?" 

"April, you're going to have to learn work with new people eventually."

"I know how to work with new people, I just don't want to." 

"Did you not foresee this as a problem when you agreed to come work with me here?"

"I don't know, I thought I'd be working in an empty closet filled with nothing but blood soaked beanie babies." 

Ben raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the image April had forcefully made him imagine He shook his head and attempted to get back to the main point of the conversation. 

"April, I think it's a bit unfair that you're not giving them at least a chance."

April rolled her eyes. "Ben, I'm nothing like them, they're basically in a different timeline then me. it's pointless for me to even try to talk to them."

"Well, you're nothing like me and yet we're talking." 

"I just don't want to work in there, Ben." Her tone was much more angered.

Examining Aprils emotional state, Bens eyes softened. She was clearly uncomfortable and was in of a familiar face to lend a hand. Letting out a deep breath, Ben continued to speak. 

"April, when I was a state auditor, I had to travel to countless towns and cities. I tried to maintain a steady mindset but honestly, i was absolutely overwhelmed with the all the new faces and places." Bens eyes met Aprils, seeing she was listening. "I felt like a complete outcast and it did not help that Chris basically molded into every environment effortlessly." Ben chuckled and went on. "I adjusted to the pattern a long while ago but that changed when reaching Pawnee. Ive met great people in Pawnee and seen a lot of amazing miracles happen there and, well, for the first time in a long while, i finally have a home to miss." 

April remained silent, unable to come up with a reply. She avoided eye contact by staring at the ground.

Ben gave her a soft smile. "I know you're feeling out of place, I am too. Just know that we may be outcasts but at least we're outcasts together."

The assistant looked up with the same emotionless expression. "Lame." 

Ben sighed and rolled his eyes, admittedly peeved at her simple response. Nonetheless, he stood up from his chair, approaching the doorway and continued to speak. 

"Over time, we'll adjust but for now, lets just introduce ourselves." 

As Ben passed the doorway, April couldn't help but sneak a genuine smile. She hated to admit but Ben was right, 

At least she wasn't alone.


	5. Memorabilia

A month had past when Ben and April received their first care package from Leslie and Andy. It was a lovely surprise that mostly consisted of Andy's dirty laundry and numerous picture frames of their Pawnee coworkers and friends. A confusing set of items but still heartfelt.

April was feeling generous and after being reminded of her husband, Andy, she was feeling rather venerable. With emotions high, she dragged Ben to a gift shop during their lunch break to buy memorabilia to send to their loved ones back in Pawnee. Admittedly, Ben was annoyed with the sudden change in his schedule, especially with it being such a severely busy day. The campaign had officially begun and much was to be completed, even during his breaks. He had rejected Aprils offer, but before he knew it, they were already heading over to a gift shop across the street.

April pushed the store doors opened, triggering bells to chime. The cashier had welcomed the two as they entered the rather large shop filled with merchandise and memorabilia all retaining to Washington. The front of the store consisted mostly of shirts and sweaters that had either wrote 'I *Heart* Washington' or a pun related to the state. It made April roll her eyes but she knew it would be something Andy would enjoy. After grabbing a shirt, the two traveled further down the store where more delicate items that were placed along shelves high enough so a child wouldn't reach. April eyed the display of the miniature Washington Memorials while Ben was distracted in his phone, typing up an email.

"Look, Ben. They're selling penises." April pointed at the Washington Memorials.

Ben glanced up from his phone and sighed. "Those are not penises , April."  

Ignoring his comment, the assistant had spotted a relic in the corner of her eye that had impressed her even more. 

"They have the penises in globes!" She exclaimed as she grabbed one to present to Ben. 

Without a reaction, Ben inspected the item placed before him. It was a small snow globe that had a small Washington monument inside. Below the attraction was a pathway way that had mini figurines sculpted on it. He smirked at the sight and lowered his phone.

"Oh, these are cute." Ben softened. He reached for the globe from April. "I bet Leslie would like this." 

April nodded in agreement and grabbed another for herself. Ben then flipped the globe around to check it's price resulting in only disappointment. 

"But pricey." He frowned. 

Ben revealed the price tag April but she remained emotionless despite the memorabilia being $32.00. Ben analyzed the globe once more before putting it back where April found it. She then began shaking her globe with a loose grip. Ben eyed her movements anxiously.

"Hey, be careful with that." Warned Ben. 

"What?" She stopped shaking the globe to inspect the sparkles that swirled inside. "Afraid I might drop it?" 

"Yes, actually."

She gave him an annoyed expression. "Relax, I'm not a child."

"Really?" Ben couldn't help but scoff. "Because, I once saw you and Andy break the glass plates I bought because you were using them as frisbees and then when I asked where they had gone you told me Champion ate them."

"That wasn't us, Ben," She hissed. "That was Janet Snakehole and Burt Macklin. They happened to be in the middle of an intense fight scene and all Janet could defend herself with were Butler Benjamins plates." 

Ben squinted his eyes, expressing a rather disturbed emotion.

"Please don't tell me I'm Butler Benjamin?" 

April simply shrugged. Before Ben could question her further, April began tossing the globe back and forth with herself. It was then his focus was back to what they were originally conversing about.

"Cmon, April, seriously. Stop that. You're going to break it."

With his free hand, Ben reached for the globe causing April to practically hug it. Managing to get a grip of the globe, he tugged on.

"Stop-" He finally pulled the globe away from her. "That." 

With this, April crossed her arms and her smile quickly faded. "You need to chill." 

Ben maintained eye contact while placing the memorabilia back on the shelf, not knowing he had it unsteadily placed on the edge of the shelf. 

"I'm not risking having to pay for a broken globe because of your lack of-"

Before he could complete his statement, the globe came crashing down causing a loud shattering noice. The sudden disruption had the two let out a yelp and jump out of its way. They viewed the broken glass and puddle there were surrounded by in utter shock.

"...Care." The cringing Ben broke the silence to continue his sentence.

"Wow, didn't know you were such a child, Ben." 

Wrinkling his forehead at Aprils sassy comment, he opened his mouth to speak but had been interrupted by one of the workers who stood behind Ben. 

"Is everything alright?" She questioned and had only just seen the broken item.

Ben turned to face the lady and forced a smile while April suddenly became stiff . 

Ben began his explanation unwillingly. "Yeah, sorry we-"

"Butler Benjamin, you idiot!" April blurted, causing Ben to flinch. "You realize what you have just done?!"

April grabbed another glob from the shelf and purposely smashedonto the floor causing yet another mess before pushing the shirts she had grabbed earlier into Bens chest with great strength. She then bolted towards the exit, waving her arms in the air rather awkwardly.

"Janet Snakehole will never be caught!" She screamed in an old timey voice as Ben and the worker watched in complete shock. "Never!"

Her voice faded once she finally made it outdoors. Despite having the situation go on for only 30 seconds, it took a while for Ben to process what just happened. He had gone red in the face out of pure embarrassment, discomfort, confusion and anger at his childish assistant. Glancing over to the employee, she appeared baffled and uncomfortable. All Ben could do was clear his throats and let out a forced chuckle.

"So, I'm guessing I'm going to have to pay for, uh," Ben gestured to the mess. "This." 

She nodded slowly with a phoney smile. Ben sighed, and headed over to the cashier.


	6. The Nameless Intern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on Aprils perspective in Episode 2 of Season 5!

April had yet to befriend anyone from the office. It wasn't something she thrived on achieving but Ben often pushed her to do so. It was annoying, like something a parent would do to their child. He was also a huge irritation when it came to work. Constantly reminding the interns to use a certain font, forcing them to reprint a memo when the paper was slightly folded, and having them create documents with a certain amount of words. Ben was simply, unnecessarily strict.

"Oh, April, uh, you used the wrong font size." Ben nearly whispered as he inspected the memo she had just handed to him. 

She shrugged, focussing her eyes on her computer as she typed. "Who cares? No ones going to notice." 

"I noticed." 

"Because you're weird." She broke her concentration to shoot an aggravated glare at her boss who looked legitimately bothered by her insignificant mistake.

"I'm not weird, I'm just doing my job and so should you." Bens voice had gotten even quieter. "Just, reprint it, alright?"

Bens attempt in keeping a low profile puzzled April. It was common for him to be vocal when he spoke to others about their mishaps and she felt it necessary to question. 

"Why are you whispering?!" Aprils voice was raised enough to bring have all eyes on Ben and herself. 

He hesitated to speak "W-What do you mean?"

"You're whispering." 

"Well, so, y'know," Ben bobbed his head awkwardly. "So you don't get embarrassed." 

"Embarrassed about what?!" She was practically shouting. "That I used the wrong font size?!"

Ben glared around the room seeing the interns taking glances at them "Ok, April-" 

"Guys, guess what?! I used the wrong font size!" She continued purposely bringing attention to herself with a smile and second thought. 

With this, Ben rolled his eyes and walked back to his office. April proudly grinned to herself and resumed to her computer. She opened up the document Ben had demanded her to fix but only made it worse by making each word an inconsistent font size. It was the only way she'd feel satisfied after that utterly useless confrontation from Ben. 

"No offence, but you're dad is a real pain in the ass." 

April looked up seeing one of the male interns standing next to her with a rather smug look on his pale face. It was somewhat punchable, but she held her unexplainable urges back. 

Finally processing his statement, she gave him disgusted yet confused look. 

"Dad?" She repeated, making sure she heard him right. 

"Yeah, your dad." He glanced over to Ben in his office. "He is your dad, right?" 

April took a moment to respond. Her initial instinct was to tease him about his mistake but then it hit her. With the knowledge of knowing people had thought she was the daughter of the boss, she quickly formulated a plan to use against Ben in the long run. The plan required commitment but she would go any length just to humiliate Ben.

"Uh, yup." She cleared her throat. "That's my dad." 

"Must be a headache dealing with him all time." 

"Oh, it sure is."

The intern nodded and silence was soon introduced to their exchange. April took the chance to inspect him further. She had regularly seen him around but forgotten his name and was unwilling to face the uncomfortableness of asking. It was on the tip of her tongue. Arnold? Arnel? No, that can't be it. She shrugged it off and continued editing the document. 

The unknown intern leaned in closer to take a better look at Aprils screen. The strong scent of his sandalwood cologne nearly made April tear up. 

"Are you making each word a different size?" He finally broke the silence. 

"Maybe." April mumbled. 

The intern scoffed. "That's pretty hilarious." 

"I know. I'm a genius." She deadpanned.

"Are you going to give it in like that?" 

"Probably." 

Impressed by her odd yet amusing nature, the intern who had yet to be named made sure to speak and hang out with April as often as possible. Most days, he would just watch her as she pulled a prank on Ben for his own entertainment. When he couldn't hang out, he'd pass by her complimenting her appearance or simply asking how she has been. April wasn't bothered nor did she prefer his company but at least it convinced Ben she had made a friend. 

As the days went by, Ben noticed the interns beginning to slow down. He had ranted to April about the lack of effort being put into their work. Memos were late, longer breaks were being taken, and worst of all, no one took his 12 point, Times New Roman font rule seriously. He was especially upset about having to find a cartoon drawing of himself with a stick up his rare, hanging on the wall of the bullpen area. 

"I actually think you look really good," April inspected the drawing Ben had ripped off the wall. "Except for the stick up your butt." 

"Who do you think drew it? Was it Nathaniel? Ellis?" Ben paced his office in frustration. "Man, I feel like these interns do not respect or like me at all."

"Honestly, you could loosen up a bit and everything in general." 

Ben ignored April and continued on with his complaints. After getting off a phone call with Jen Barkley who had denied the request of replacing a few of the interns, Ben shared his plan with April of attempting to bond with him and the rest of the interns to gain their respect. With her newly gathered knowledge, April reported back to her desk where she has found her friend sitting beside. 

"What happened?" He asked anxiously. "Did he find out it was you who drew it?" 

"No, you'd think a dad would know what their daughters drawings would look like." April responded, rolling her eyes. 

"Damn." Was all he could say.

She sat on her chair and opened her laptop up. 

"He's planning a pizza party, or something. Maybe a frisbee game after because he thinks it will make him you guys like him more." April informed. 

"What? For real?" 

"For realsies!" She blurted with fake enthusiasm. 

The intern laughed. "Wow, he is so desperate, it's actually kinda sad!" 

April forced a chuckle but sat silent, unable to add on. 

The intern continued to speak but suddenly, in a more calming manners 

"Hey, you have any plans for tonight? I was thinking you and I go out for some dinner..." 

His offer had April glance over to the blonde male and squinted her eyes in suspicion. "What? Like a date?" 

His only reply was a shrug and a smile that many would call charming, but April would name cringe worthy. 

"Dude, I'm married." She blurted with a helpless smile. 

With this, the heart broken intern sat up in utter shock.

"What?! Married?! You're like 20!" 

"So?!" April argued back. "And plus, I don't even know your name!" 

"You don't know my name?! it's been 3 weeks since we've been talking!"

April shrugged with a slightly empathetic grin. It was silent as she watched the flustered intern cover his now bright red face by looking down. She couldn't help but feel just a little guilt. 

"So...." She said slowly. "What's you're name then?" 

"You SERIOUSLY don't know?"

She shook her head whilst biting her bottom lip uncomfortably. It took a moment for him to respond. 

"It's Ellis. My name is Ellis."

The intern then stomped off to his desk to hide himself from the embarrassment she had caused him. The next day, the interns were greeted with a large stack of pizza boxes overbearing their desk and Ben energetically skipping around them. Each of them took a piece with the exception of April and her friend, who had been ignoring her since they arrived. 

"Ellis, what's up, my male?" Ben approached Aprils friend with an attempt to put on a laid back attitude. "You grab a slice of 'za, brah." 

"All right." Was all he could utter.

The follow day, Ben went on to his second phase of the plan, the outdoor frisbee game. Still, Ellis had been ignoring April, but she didn't seem to mind. Her gimmicks continued as she claimed she was keeping score of the game when in reality she was whipping out another drawing of Ben to hang on one of the office walls. Somehow, Ben trying to relate was even more annoying than him being a wound up, stick in the mud. His dialogue was what irked April the most. It was if he went on Google and searched up how millennials spoke to one another and used every single word in one sentence.

When the game ended, everyone changed back to their formal wear and continued on with their work, but Ellis who had been hanging out in the conference room, scrolling through his phone. April not knowing of Ellis' presents, had entered the room holding tape and her freshly finished drawing of Ben with a tree branch up his butt. Ellis glared at her and rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, what do you want?" Ellis sneered. 

"Shut up, Ellen." She hissed back as she pasted the drawing onto the wall.

"My name is Ellis!" He snapped in frustration.

April ignored his anger and backed away from the drawing to make sure it was positioned correctly. Curiously taking a peek at what she had stuck on the wall, Ellis eyes widened at her newest creation. 

"Oh my god, you seriously made another drawing? He's going to be super pissed!" Ellis claimed in slight concern.

Before April could respond, Ben could be seen in the corner of her eye. She quickly scattered to the back of the conference room and begins searching for something to seem distracted with. 

"Shh, he's coming!" April lets out a yelp.


	7. A Fathers Instinct

Ben was disappointed. His attempt to earn respect from the interns seemed to mean nothing when he received yet another cartoon sketch taped onto the conference wall. This time, it was a drawing of himself being plummeted in the ass with a large tree branch. How accurate his facial features were depicted in the drawing annoyed Ben the most. 

Seeing as Ellis was the only individual in the room, along side April, Ben had put the blame on him. Unfortunately for a certain assistant, Ellis was quick to tattle.

"I didn't draw it. Your daughter did." Ellis was hesitant to claim.

Ben shook his head in confusion. "What?" 

"Her." The intern glanced over to the every so guilty, April who had been pretending to be busy with imaginary work. 

It was a shameful discovery presented in one of the worst ways possible. April was known for pulling tiny but various pranks on Ben in the office for her own, and the interns entertainment but this one stung a bit harder. It was awful knowing the one Ben trusted the most participated in fueling his frustration but the now known fact people thought she was his daughter was absolutely baffling. He didn't know whether to spend his time furiously signing documents in his office at the thought of how upset he was at Aprils actions or the puzzling moments of being called her dad. It just didn't make sense, he wasn't even that old to have a 24 year old daughter! Ben understand if they had mistaken him as her brother but as her dad?! He didn't even look that old either... did he? 

"I'm not even greying yet! Am I?! Oh, God, Leslie, am I greying?!" Ben cried as he stressfully ranted to Leslie via Skype. 

He had called Leslie during work claiming it was an urgent manner. She was quick to answer but the topic in hand wasn't all that drastic. 

"You're fine, babe!" Leslie insisted in attempt to calm her boyfriend down. "It's not even that noticeable!" 

Ben slammed his fist onto his desk. "So, I AM greying?!" 

"What? No, I mean--" Leslie was silenced for a few moments before Ben had completely given up hope on her motivation. 

He brushed his hands over his face in complete defeat. 

"I can't believe I look like a dad... a greying, old dad." He mourned silently. 

Leslie shook her head and smiled. "It's not because you look old, which you do NOT, it's just that you treat her LIKE a daughter by being super bias!" 

"Bias? I'm not biased, how could I possibly be bias?"

"I mean, you let her hang out in your office, you have lunch together and, whenever you need something done, you go to her first!" 

"Yeah, because she's my assistant! That's what assistants do!" 

"Well, sorry to break it to you but sounds like you're giving your assistant special treatment."

Before Ben could deny Leslie's comment, he spotted April heading her way to his office in holding a piece of paper. Ben and Leslie quickly said their goodbyes and ended the call. April entered the room, in a rather confident manner and stopped  at in front of his desk. 

"Here's that report you wanted, Boss." She mimic the voice of a typical businessman, handing the paper over. 

Ben grabbed the paper, seeing as it was a document filled with a cluster of words in multiple fonts and sizes. It was a subtle reminder that he was suppose to be mad at her for her earlier actions.

"Get it? It's funny because it has 30 different fonts on it and you only like one." April explained.

It was a childish joke, even April had to admit but it was too good of a gag to pull. Though, seeing Bens lukewarm reaction, as he tossed the paper to the side and continued to do his work, she felt immediate regret. She had apologized repeatedly but Ben was just not taking it. Ben was fed up. He had to stop giving her special treatment 

"... I asked you to come work here because I thought you'd enjoy it and I think you're smart," Bens tone was stern. "but you have to have some semblance of professionalism, and I need you to give, like, even a 15% effort."

Once again, he was sounding like a dad. It didn't help that April stormed off after their discussion, like a angered teenager heading to her room. Nonetheless, if acting like a strict dad got her to actually do work, it would be worth it.


	8. Bonding Nightmare

Ben had always wanted to bond with April but being stuck in a car for three hours was not how he pictured it out to be. 

"Three hours well spent!" Ben chuckled, tossing his car keys onto the table next to the doorway. 

April grinned at other as she entered the apartment they now shared. Wanting a more comfortable lifestyle, the two decided to rent an apartment but due to Aprils rather low budget, Ben allowed her to once again, be roommates with each other.

"I can't believe you read me your 30 chapter Star Wars fanfiction-" April mentioned.

"Star TREK. And it was 25 chapters." Ben corrected her rather timidly.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

They had planned a road trip back to Pawnee due to their impatient nature of wanting to see their loved ones. Unfortunately for the two, they were forced to wait in the parking lot of their workplace for several areas to construction that had been occurring. To provide entertainment, Ben decided it was a good idea to read aloud his freshly completed Star Trek fanfiction. This, of course, had made the wait feel so much more longer for poor, April. It was useless at the end once they ran out of gas because of their choice of blasting the air conditioner before they even hit the road.

Ben exited his bedroom after he had clean his appearance and spotted April who was laying on the living room couch where she rested her laptop on a pillow, that had been placed on her stomach. She had turned the TV on moments before but had ignored it as she was distraction by social media. Ben accompanied her by sitting on the one seater next to the sofa and began flipping through the channels. The sound of clicking and passing voices had overcome the room, a normal occurrence in the Wyatt and Ludgate household, but a overbearing thought had been bothering Ben since the end of their failed road trip. As lame as it sounded, he had never shared his Star Trek story with anyone but Leslie. Leslie being Leslie always gave Ben positive feedback, possibly afraid of hurting his feelings. It was lovely of her, but Ben did actually want legit feedback. 

"Y'know, you never told me what you thought of it." Ben stated, slightly hesitating. 

Aprils eyes stuck to the screen. "Thought of what?" 

"My, uh, fanfiction." He reminded her. 

"Oh," April paused, recalling back to the story. She faked a smile before enthusiastically saying, "I loved it." 

Ben frowned at her sarcasm

"C'mon, seriously, I'm actually curious of what you thought of it."

"Ben-" She shot an irritated glance at him, seeing as he was basically on the edge of his seat.

Ben pouted. "Please?" 

With this, April let out a disgruntled sigh, regretting her decision of resting on the couch rather than her room. 

"I don't know?" April groaned. "It was lame and boring! I didn't understand half of the things you were saying while reading it and I fell asleep five times." 

"What?" Ben blurted, puzzled by Aprils feedback. "What didn't you understand? I've skimmed through it for plot holes a ton and from what i can judge, I've written a pretty straight forward plot." 

"It just didn't make sense, Ben. Like, how am I suppose to know what an 'Orions', is?"

"You don't know what an Orion is?!" 

Ben cried in disbelief.  Awaiting for a response from his rather unamused roommate, he quickly came to a conclusion himself, that had widened his dark brown eyes. 

"Wait, have you even seen Star Trek?" 

April glared at Ben, hesitant to answer but it was clear as day that she had been in the dark.

"You haven't seen Star Trek!" Ben concluded in excitement. As Bens smile grew, April sunk into the couch further, afraid of what she had just unintentionally triggered. 

"This is perfect!" 

The nerd jumped out of his seat and hurried his bedroom. April eyed him as he left, worried of the outcome.

"Where are you going?!" April couldn't help but ask. Silence was his response,

She had never seen Ben so joyful before and had wished she never did. After a few moments, Ben had come out with his laptop and a DVD case in hand. He returned back to his seat and began setting up his laptop for what April had only guessed was an impromptu Movie Night. 

"Oh, God. You ACTUALLY brought the movie with you?" April couldn't help but question.

"I brought three of the 14 movies-"

Aprils eyes widened "There are 14 movies?!"

Her stomach turned at the thought being stuck with Ben and Star Trek for another five hours. It was if she was in an everlasting nightmare.

"Why? Why would you do that?" 

"We're stuck here for a year, what was I gonna do? Not bring Star Trek?!"

Before April could tease Ben for his decision, the movie was set on his laptop and the beginning credits were being played. He quickly paused it.

"Now, April, are you ready to witness one of the greatest piece of entertainment to have concurred pop culture?!" Ben flipped his laptop to face Aprils direction.

She stared at the screen then back at the enthusiastic Ben who anxiously awaited her response. Without hesitation, she grabbed her laptop and hurried off the couch. 

"No, April sit!" Ben demanded before she could leave, raising his finger to point at her. "You owe me!"

April squinted at him with confusion. "Owe you for what?!" 

"Uhhh, I don't know? Maybe for the constant humiliation and pain you cause me?! Just yesterday, you threatened to break my legs when I told you to put your phone away!"

April looked back at the memory and couldn't help but feel pleased. She had gone through multiple insults and cruel jokes towards Ben throughout the few months in Washington but only recently was Ben expressing his annoyance with them. Just a week ago, Ben had given her a speech about the lack of effort she put in her work. His numerous speeches of discipline secretly did make her feel bad for her actions and she absolutely hated that feeling. Perhaps she was being a little too harsh on Ben. 

Knowing it was hopeless for her pity to go away, April plopped back onto the sofa and crossed her arms. 

"Fine." She muttered lifelessly. 

Bens eyes widened and his smile faded at her response with utter disbelief. 

"Wait, what did you say?"

April groaned louder, not wanting. To repeat her regrettable answer. "I said, fine! Play the stupid movie!" 

His smirk returned as he attempted to hold back screaming out pure of excitement. Ben hopped onto the now empty spot beside April, causing her to hiss. Unbothered, he played the movie and the beginning credits began. During the movie, April had let out audible sighs and witty comments in attempt to understand what was happening. During the 30 minute mark, Ben gave up on answering her questions and she obtained the habit of checking her phone every minute or so to respond to messages or check the time. 

The climax of the film was coming up in a few minutes, which also happened to be Bens favourite part. 

"April, this is when things really get interesting." Bens eyes were glued to the screen. "Not that anything prior to this moment wasn't interesting but, you get what I mean." 

She was quiet, not even a grunt was made. The sudden pressure on Bens shoulder alerted Ben to glance over, seeing April was fast asleep, with her head resting on him. He blinked numerous times in a row in attempt to adjust his eyes. Looking around, he realized how dark it had gotten. The only source of light currently in the room was his laptop and night light of outside. He paused the movie once again and glared over to April once again. Inspecting her further in her most calmest state made her seem somewhat innocent. It was odd to say the least. Ben let out a sigh as he closed his laptop. Attempting to wake April up by calling her name softly was a bust. Instead, he slowly removed her head from his shoulder and laid it onto a couch pillow. After retrieving a blanket from Aprils room, he placed it onto her gently and left her their to rest.

Though, literally an anticlimactic ending to their day, Ben couldn't complain. His goal of bonding with April had been reached and in the best possible way; sharing his love for Star Trek.


	9. The Robot

It was tradition for April to be late on report submissions but a miracle occurred when Ben checked his email. He received a document from none other than his assistants a few days earlier than it was due. Shockingly enough, there were no spelling errors, comedically large font size, or rude comments sneakily hidden in the corner. Ben, being paranoid, tripled check to make sure she wasn't fooling him again but it was practically a perfect document. For the first time in a while, he didn't have to yell at April. 

From that point on, her professionalism continued. She followed instructions, limited her distractions, and gave in memos on time. Not only did her work ethics change but she had also been noticeably quieter both at work and home. April hadn't pulled a prank on him for quite a while but her gimmicks continued, she just excluded Ben. He couldn't complain, she was finally acting mature and taking her work more seriously, but for an unexplainable reason, it just didn't feel right. Ben decided to question her sudden attitude change, but she had just shrugged and left him with no explanation.

Later on in the week, Congressman Murray visited the office and, Ben had been on top of everyone to make sure they left a good impression, but to his surprise, the congressman had been lounging in his office for a majority of his stay. No one bothered to accompany him and not much confrontation was done until Ben was given the duty to give him a few documents. He approached Murrays office but before entering, he noticed April who was idly standing beside the break area, staring directly through Murrays office. Recently receiving a document of hers, Ben decided to commend April on her work.

"Oh, hey," Ben greeted nonchalantly as he looked through his files. "Nice work on the jobs research-" 

"Shh!" April shushed him. She nodded her head towards the glass wall. "Look." 

Ben glared over seeing nothing but Murray simply siting in his chair doing nothing.

"What am I looking at?" Ben muttered in confusion. "He's not doing anything." 

"That's the point." April fiddled with the straw of her coffee cup and glanced up at Ben. "This morning he got in, sat down in there, and has been staring straight ahead, doing nothing." She paused and eyed Murray once again. Coming to a conclusion, her eyes widened as she glared back at Ben. "He's a robot."

Ben rolled his eyes and resumed looking through the documents. "He's not a robot, he's just thinking. He's got a lot on his mind."

"Yeah, like, 'One, one, zero, one. Must eat babies for fuel'" She said in a robotic voice.

Ben couldn't help but scoff. "Why would a robot need to consume organic manner?" He questioned, looking at April but she had shot him an annoyed glare. He quickly mumbled, "Sorry." 

The two of them continued to spy on the statue of a man for a few moments. Admittedly, Ben did find his mannerisms quite odd but he didn't want to think too much of it.

"You know what, they probably put a TV in there, and he's watching old speeches to none up." Was Bens explanation. "Lets go see."

April let out a sigh and agreed. They made there way into his office, Ben greeted and he handed him a briefing package for a meeting later. Murray thanked him like he was programmed to but Ben still was not convinced of Aprils claims. Finally, when the two subtly looked around the room but no television was found. It was then, Ben began to notice his robotic nature. Murrays stiff posture, unchanged facial expression, and repetitive dialogue had forced Ben hold in his laughter. It didn't help that April was jabbing robot puns every given moment they spent in the office. As quickly as they could, the two left his office and walked as far as they could away from the congressman, into the hallway. Once out of sight, the two bursted out laughing at the odd reveal. 

"See, I told you!" April exclaimed. "He's a robot!"

Ben wouldn't usually agree with her odd antics, but the gimmick was too good to contribute to. 

"But wait, you know what this means, right?" Ben nearly whispered. 

April tilted her head in curiosity. "What?" 

"Robots are finally taking over. It's a robot revolution, April!"

April rolled her eyes but giggled at his insane conclusion. The sudden distance April was giving Ben had quickly was quickly forgotten as they laughed together. Throughout the day, they poked jokes at one another about Murray. At one point, they accidentally blurted a joke infront of the congressman himself, but being the robot he was, he didn't seem to emote. 

Oddly enough, this was the one of the most enjoyable time they've had together in a long while. It gave Ben warmth to see his assistant have as fun as she was. It was then that Aprils unwarned professionalism and lack of pranks suddenly made sense. It was a fact, April spent a majority of her time with Andy back in Pawnee, where he participated and fuelled her wild ideas. Now, being stuck with Ben, his so called "uptightness", was the enemy to Aprils creativity and he had been constantly neglecting it with maturity and logic. April missed having fun and, all Ben had to do to solve this problem was be silly. 

"Lets go get some batteries-" Ben blurted in a robotic manner. "I mean, human food." 

April chuckled at grinned at him softly. "Hey, uh, batteries-- I mean, human food sounds good."


	10. Last Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Enjoy!

"Well, Congressman Murray has an 18 point lead, Calloway is out of money and has stopped campaigning."

Ben announced to the campaign team with Jen Barkley by his side. He paused as he scanned the tired yet relieved facial expressions of the interns who all held a glass of champaign.

"So congratulations!" Ben held his own glass up and they cheered. "Good work, all of you."

The race to victory was a lengthy yet smooth road for Councilman Murray thanks to the work of his campaign team. It was a stressful 5 months for the team but the satisfying of winning was worth it in the end. Ben wouldn't admit it but he was proud of himself. He had also been quite prideful of April who he had watch grown into a (somewhat) more mature adult. Despite her distracting gimmicks and overall negative attitude towards most things, he did enjoy having the company of April during the last months. It was tough for her, Ben could only guess and couldn't help but want to show her his thanks. Knowing another speech about growth and potential wouldn't do any good, Ben decided to give a gift April would truly appreciate.

"April, if you want, you can head back to Pawnee early." Ben suggested. "Wrap a few things up and-"

"Great."

Without hesitation, April knocked her glass of champaign onto the floor in the process of grabbing her purse, and ran out of the office. Not quite the reaction he expected but wasn't surprised by it as well.

On the same day, Ben was offered yet another job opportunity in Florida from Jen Barkley. The over pouring news had him overwhelmed, and so was Leslie when he told her. The couple were set on moving in together and she had just leased a house for the two but with the sudden altercations introduced, things were beginning to feel rocky. Despite Leslie's positive tone, Ben could hear the uncertainty and disappointment in Leslie's voice. When the phone call ended, he couldn't help but worry that he potentially jeopardized their relationship.

With his mind clustered with thoughts, he headed back to his apartment with night having to already fallen. It had been a long day filled with all sorts of different emotions, he just wanted to get some rest. After unlocking the door of the apartment, he stepped inside seeing April sitting on the living room sofa. She looked up from her laptop and turned her head, seeing her roommate arrive.

"April." Ben greeted her sternly and slowly with a nod.

"Ben." She greeted back in a somewhat mocking manner. She returned her eyes back to the screen.

"Where'd you run off to earlier?" Questioned Ben, noticing she remained in her work clothing.

"Here, duh." She deadpanned. Silence took over for a moment until she continued hesitantly. "I also bought a plane ticket for tomorrow."

Ben nodded and opened the closet to hang his jacket. She glanced over to him and closed her laptop shut.

"Ben, wait."

His hands were gripped on a hanger but froze at Aprils command.

"Leave your jacket on. I, uh, wanna take you somewhere." April claimed rather awkwardly.

Ben tilted his head in confusion. "Take me somewhere?" He repeated.

April shrugged as a response making her invite more shady than it already was. She stood up and smoothed her skirt before grabbing her purse. She made her way over to the doorway and muttered, "You're driving though."

Ben let go of the hanger to rub his eyebrow and took a few seconds to think up a reply.

He sighed. "I don't know, April, it's been a long day-"

"But, it's my last day here!" April stopped in front of Ben to whine. "You're always complaining about how I never leave the apartment so what better time to prove you wrong than now?"

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe not at 9:00PM on a Thursday?"

"C'mon, Just-- trust me, ok?"

If there was one thing Ben learned during his 5 months with April, it's to never trust her. No matter how convincing, pushy, or relentless her requests or stories were, they almost always turned out to be a joke. He learned of this pattern in the 3rd month, but there was something about her doe eyes and soft smile that made this moment different. It was a familiar yet rare look. It was somewhat sweet and venerable, two traits Ben had never imagined describing her. It reminded him of how she looked innocent she looked when falling asleep to Star Trek. It was then he realized the dark and sarcastic ora she constantly carried was completely transparent. For the first time, Ben was witnessing April being completely genuine.

"Alright, fine." Ben agreed with a calm tone. "Where are we going?"

 

* * *

 

 

"C'mon, hurry up!" April demanded. She tapped her foot impatiently as she watched Ben slowly climb the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial.

He ignored her request and continued with the pace he was comfortable with.  
When Ben finally made it to the plate he stood beside April rather annoyed. They viewed the large statue once again but this time they weren't dying of heat. Less people were visiting, but the monument was as beautiful at it was in the day. Though, Ben wasn't as excited to see it as April seemingly was.

"April," Ben let out a disgruntled sigh. "Why are we here?"

April ignored Bens questioned, turned to face him and held out her hand. "Give me your phone."

Ben furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Excuse me?" He choked. "Are you mugging me?"

"No!" She rolled her eyes, slightly offended. "Just-- give it to me."

He squinted at her in suspicion but followed her instructions anyway. Patting his pants pocket, he felt his phone, took it out, and tossed it over. She inspected it, seeing as the screen was almost completely shattered but didn't think too much of it. April then proceeded to study Bens posture for a few moments resulting in a rather uncomfortable silence.

"Put your hands like this," She spoke suddenly and lifted Bens arm and folded his fingers to form a thumbs up.

She then stepped back to view his position through the camera. Ben, still naive of the whole situation couldn't help but ask,

"What are you doing?"

April sighed and began to focus the camera.

"What do you think?" April sassed. "I'm taking your picture." She paused and continued in a softer tone. "Since I kinda ruined your first one."

April looked away from the screen and met eyes with Ben.

"Ruined my first one?"

April nodded. "Yeah, when we first arrived you wanted to take a picture here to send to Leslie."

Ben looked back at the moment and suddenly, his frown had faded into a pure grin. Even for Aprils closest friends, It was difficult to figure her out. Many were unable to identify if she was being serious or sarcastic, but at this moment, Ben was sure this was her way of thanking him. With this, he stayed silent and allowed April to take the photo.

Completing their photoshoot, they sat on the stairs of the monument and scrolled through the photos she took. It was a full body shot, with the Lincoln memorial clearly seen in the background.

"Definitely better than last time." Ben chuckled and April smirked. "I'm sure Leslie will love it."

Ben continued to look through the pictures but soon swiped the last of the collection. It had ended up on a photo of a selfie of him and Leslie. The light heartedness of the moment refreshing but he couldn't help but be reminded of is conversation with her. He bit the side of his cheek and stared at it for a lengthy amount of time before April interrupted his train of thought.

"Do you love her?" She blurted with caution. "Leslie, I mean."

Ben shot April a glance, thrown off by her question. She eyed the image on his device and wrapped her arms around her legs as she awaited his answer.

"Gee, heavy question, April." Ben let out a scoff and the other simply shrugged.

"But, of course, I do." Sincerity could be heard in his voice. April remained quiet as an invitation to keep talking.

"I mean, who doesn't?" He looked back at the picture and admired Leslie. "She's amazing and caring, and kind, and humble, and the most compassionate person anyone could ever meet- and I've met a LOT of people." He chuckled and his grin grew wider. "There is an indescribable feeling when I'm around her. I-I find myself swooning over her mid-conversation, or daydreaming of the smallest moments we shared but remembering every little detail. I-I'm absolutely crazy for her and-- I miss her. I miss her so damn much."

He stroked the picture with his thumb gently, softening his expression.

"Whoever took her for granted in the past is truly missing out on the beauty of Leslie Knope."

Quietness took over when Ben stopped himself, realizing he had been rambling. He held himself from looking at Aprils reaction in fear of embarrassment but she remained emotionless. They sat through another wave of silence, not quite sure what to do next.

April twiddled her thumb and bit the bottom of her lip before breaking the stillness.

"You guys are good together." She finally muttered with her eyes directed at the ground.

She tightened her grip of her legs and took a quick glance at the other who had his eyebrows raised and eyes widened. Receiving approval from April was one of the highest achievements anyone could accomplish, and that includes winning a campaign for the second time. Ben felt the comfort April offered and debated whether or not to hug her but she was clearly tremendously uncomfortable. Instead, he gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you, April."

 

* * *

 

 

The following day, Ben had dropped April to the airport. He assisted her in checking her baggage in, and said their goodbyes before she had gone into the departure area. Ben thanked her for assisting in the campaign which she rolled her eyes to. She then felt obligated to awkwardly say a quick 'thank you'. They knew they were going to see each other soon but yet, their goodbye felt so gloomy.

April hesitated to turn her back to make her way over to her flight. It was an unexplainable urge that she simply could not shrug off.

She glared up at Ben who looked her her in a puzzled manner. Before he could speak, April had wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. The surprise had made Ben take a few steps back but she had still held on. The male froze, uncertain of how to react. He slowly patted her back a few times before his slightly red-faced friend quickly let go to head to her flight.

Ben had watched her as she attempted to hide herself in the crowd and couldn't help but giggle and the scene. As much as he wanted to witness an embarrassed April, he had a flight to book back to the lady he was soon to call his wife.

April was feeling rather unsteady after the hug. She even surprised herself when she took action. It felt weird and out of place, yet, she didn't regret it.

When April accepted Bens offer to be his assistant in Washington, she didn't know what to expect. Five months with Ben was, no doubt, lame. But other than his nerdy antics and uptight personality,

Washington wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd, we're done! This was a blast to write and I plan on writing more stories for the Parks and Rec fandom in the future. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


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